Find What’s Happening in Your Community
Click the button below and select your county or tribe to find out more about the tobacco industry’s impact on your community.
On your county or tribe webpage, you’ll find facts about how this deceptive industry is pushing its deadly products where you live. You’ll also find ways to connect with people in your county or tribe who are holding the tobacco industry accountable for the harm it causes.
Make Your Community Tobacco-Free
Here are actions you can take to protect your community. For help with these and anything else you want to work on, connect with your Tobacco Prevention and Education Program Coordinator.
Where you Gather
- Talk to family, friends, neighbors, co-workers and others in your community about why smoke-free events, parks and other gathering places matter.
- Talk to your elected officials, event managers and park managers about other places you’d like to see protected.
Where You Live and Shop
- When you’re looking for a new home, check for non-smoking rental listings. Tell landlords that you want smoke-free housing. As of 2010, landlords in Oregon are required to share their smoking policy as part of the rental agreement.
- Encourage your landlord to adopt smoke-free housing policies. Explain that it’s legal to do so, and that people want it: three-fourths of renters are looking for a no-smoking unit. Share that studies show a non-smoking unit is almost $5,000 cheaper to clean after a renter moves out, compared to costs for cleaning a unit where people smoked.
- Talk with your neighbors about smoke-free units and smoke-free outdoor areas. Gather signatures for a petition to the landlord, manager or owner to show support for going smoke-free.
- Notice tobacco advertising and marketing in your community. Shop at places that do not sell or advertise tobacco, and let the owner know why you chose their store.
When You Drive
- Make your car or truck smoke-free, and don’t be afraid to ask passengers to respect your request. It’s better for everyone’s health, smells fresher and is easier to keep clean.
- When it comes to children and cars, smoke-free is Oregon law. As of January 2014, it is a secondary traffic violation to smoke in a motor vehicle with anyone under the age of 18 present. Individuals can be fined up to $250 for the first offense and up to $500 each time after that for smoking in a vehicle when youth are present.
Where You Learn
- Do you attend a university or community college that doesn’t have a tobacco-free policy? Work to change that!
